Aeroplane shutter



May 16, 1933.

R. B. BEISEL ET AL AEROPLANE SHUTTER Filed April 50, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 N lNVENTOR fif/ 5.517651 & BY GEORGE APAGE JR.

AT ToRNEY y 1933- R. B. BEISEL ET AL AEROPLANE SHUTTER Filed April 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May16, 1933 PATE NT OFFICE REX B. BEISEL, OF HEMPSTEAD AND GEORGE A. PAGE, .13., OF FREEPORT, NEW YORK,

ASSIGNOBS TO CURTISS AEROPLANE & MOTOR COMPANY, INC., A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK Application filed April 30,

Our invention relates to shutters for aircooled engines of aircraft.

An object of the invention is to provide a shutter in which the air flow over and around the engine cylinders may be regulated, said shutter comprising two discs, each said disc having formed therein a. plurality of openings,-and one said disc being movable relatively to the other whereby the effective area of said openings may be varied.

A further object of the invention is to provide for the movable disc a roller bearing support, said support being carried by the other said disc and being arranged to engage within a center opening formed in said movable disc.

A further object of the invention is to provide for said movable disc an operating means, said operating means being preferably fastened to said movable disc, let thru the other said disc, extended rearwardly therefrom between the cylinders of the en-. gine, and carried at its opposite end to a point within convenient reach of the pilot.

A still further object of the invention 'is to so form and arrange the shutter discs as to provide at the nose end of the fuselage or body a substantially streamline entry.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter more fully set forth. I

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters. denote like or corresponding parts,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an aeroplane fuselage showing more or less diagrammatically the shutter installation Fig. 2 is a half plan view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1;

' Fig. 3 's a half longitudinal vertical sectional view of the shutter;

' 'Fig. 4 is a frontend elevation of the shutter, and v Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the roller bearing support for the movable disc.

In the embodiment of the invention selected for illustration an aeroplane fuselage of more or less conventional design is illustrated. Said fuselage, desi ated in its entirety as 10, has formed t erein the usual AEROPLANE snu'r'rmt 1929. Serial No. 359,194.

cockpit space 11, and has installed therein at or near its forward end an air-cooled radial cylinder engine 12. Just forward of the engine 12 and behind the propeller 13 the engine shutter, designated as 14, is disposed. Said shutter (see Figs. 3 and 4) comprises a forward movable disc 15 and a rear or fixed disc 16, each said disc having a form substantially that of a segment of a sphere and being of substantially equal diameter. Preferably the diameter of the shutter discs is such that the exterior lines thereof merge substantially uninterruptedly into that part of the fuselage cowling disposed immediately therebehind. Thus formed, there is provided at the nose end of the fuselage a streamline entry tending to reduce the head resistance or drag.

The support for the fixed disc 16 comprises an annular frame 17 to which said disc 16 is rigidly fastened 'by any suitable fastening means. Radial arms 18 bolted to the engine crank case hold said annular frame rigidly in place. Said disc 16 has formed therein a center opening 19 and in addition to said center opening a plurality of radial openings 20. In addition to the support 17, said disc 16 is centrally supported as at 21, the latter support being bolted to said disc 16* and to the engine crank case as indicated in Fig. 5.

The forward or movable disc 15 is also provided with a center opening 22 and with radial openings 23. Near its outer margin said movable disc 15 is supported by roller bearings-23. It is further supported, centrally, by roller bearings 24 carried by the fixed disc and extended forwardly therefrom into the center opening 22. Said last mentioned roller bearings (see Fig. 5) directly engage with an annular ring 25 fastened to the disc 15. Thru said center openings 19 and 22 the engine propeller shaft extends.

The means for operating or moving the disc 15 comprises cross-arranged operatingcables 26 fastened at one end to a bell crank 27 and fastened at their opposite ends to the forward or movable disc 15. From their points of attachment tosaid movable disc 15 the cables 26 extend oppositely to suitable guides .28 over which they are carried to disc having formed therein a extend rearwardly between the cylinders of the engine 12 along the inside of the fuselage. At their opposite ends, and within the cockpit space 11, said cables are carried over pulleys 29 and are attached to the bell crank 27. Thru movement imparted to said bell crank the cables 26 are either let out or drawn in, as the case may be, to either increase or decrease as desired the effective area of'the shutter openings. Preferably the guides 28 are carried by the annular frame 17 whereas the operating cables 26 are extended thru an opening 30 formed in the inner or fixed disc 16. Thus arranged, the air flow over and around the engine cylinders may be regulated as desired by the pilot or operator from the cockpit space 11 of the machine. If desired, suitable mechanism 31 may be provided within the cockpit space to releasably lock the bell crank 27 in its adjusted position.

A shutter characterized as herein set forth is extremely simple both in construction and in operation. It lends itself admirably to air-cooled engines by reason of its streamline form. Thru the use of ball bearing rollers both at the center and at the outer margin of the movable disc, said movable disc 15 is made freely rotatable to the end that its movement with respect to the fixed disc 16 1 may be effected at all times.

\Vhile we have described our invention in detail in its present preferred embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art after understanding our invention, that various changes .and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. We aim in the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes. f a.

lVhat we claim is:

1. A shutter for air-cooled engines of air-- craft comprising two concentric discs, each having ally arranged shutter openings, and one said centeropenlng, roller supports for one said disc arranged to bear-on the defining wall of saidcenter opening, and means for rotating said roller supported disc relatively to the other said disc whereby the-effective area of the radially arranged shutter openings may be varied. Y 2. For use in combination with an aerial vehicle having an air-cooled engine, an engine shaft therefor, and a propeller driven thereby, a shutter comprising two discs, one

of which is fixed and the other of which is rotatable in its relation to said "fixed disc,

central openings being provided in both of said discs, roller supports for saidrotatable disc, means operable to rotate said last mentioned disc, said engine shaft being let through said central openings, and a supformed therein a plurality of radieffective area of the shutter port for said fixed disc carried by the aerial vehicle.

3. A shutter for air-cooled engines of aircraft comprising a fixed support, a disc carried by said fixed support, rollers carried by said fixed disc, arotatable disc carried by said rollers, said discs having formed therein central openings, whereby an engine shaft may be let through said central openings and a propeller may be secured to said en- "gine shaft forward of said discs, said rotatings carried by said fixed support, a rotatable disc positioned forwardly of said fixed disc, said rotatable disc being likewise provided with a plurality of shutter openings, roller supports carried by one of said discs adjacent to the periphery thereof and arranged to bear on the periphery of the other said disc and means fastened to said rotatable disc and let thru said fixed disc for rotating'the former to regulate the effective area of said shutter openings.

5. In an airplane, in combination, an aircooled engine, a shutter for regulating the air flow over and around said engine comprising two concentric discs, each having formed therein a plurality of shutter openings, and one said disc having formed therein a center opening, roller supports for one said disc arranged to bear on the defining wall of said center opening, additional roller supports arranged to bear on the periphery of one said disc, and means for rotating one of said discs relatively to the other whereby the effective area of the shutter openings may be varied.

6. In an airplane, in combination, an aircooled engine, a shutter for regulating the air flow over and around said enginecomprising two concentric discs, each. having formed therein aplurality of shutter openings, and one said disc having formed therein a center opening, a shaft for said engine passing through said center opening, su ports for said disc arranged to bear on t e defining wall of said center opening and prevent contact thereof with said engine shaft, and means for rotating one said disc relatively to the othersaid disc whereby the openings may be varied.

7. In an airplane, in combination, an aircooled engine, a shutter for regulating the air flow over and around said engine comprising two concentric discs, each having formed therein aplurality of shutter openings, and one of said discs having formed therein a center opening, a shaft for said engine extending through said center opening, supports for said disc arranged to bear on the defining wall of the center opening and to prevent said walls from coming in contact with said engine shaft, additionalsupports for said disc arranged to bear on the periphery thereof, and means for rotating said roller supported disc relativelyto the other said disc whereby the effective area of the shutter openings may be varied.

8. A shutter for air-cooled engines of aircraft comprising two-concentric discs, each having formed therein a pluralty of radially arranged shutter openings, and one said disc having formed therein a center opening, roller supports for one said disc arranged to bear on the definingwall of said center opening, and means for rotating said roller supported disc relatively "to the other said disc whereby the effective area of the radially arranged shutter openings may be varied, said means being disposed within reach of the pilot of the aircraft. X

i 9. For use in combination with an aerial vehicle having an air-cooled engine, an engine shaft therefor, and a propeller driven thereby, a shutter comprising two discs, one

of which is fixed'and the other of which is rotatable in its relation to said fixed disc,

central openings being provided in both of said discs, roller supports for said rotatable disc, means, Within the reach of the pilot of I said aerial vehicle, operable to rotate said last mentioned disc, said engine shaft being I let through said central openings, and a support for said fixed disc carried by the aerial vehicle.

10. A shutter for air-cooled engines said fixed disc, a rotatable disc carried by said rollers, said discs having formed therein cen tral openings, whereby an engine shaft may be let through said central openings and a propeller may be secured to said engine shaft forward of said discs, saidrotatable disc, being positioned in advance of said fixed disc, and means let through said fixed disc and fastened to said rotatable disc for regulatingits adjustment, saidimeans including an operating lever mounted in the cockpit of the aircraft, whereby the air flow may be regulated by the pilot of the aircraft when in flight.

of aircraft comprising a fixed support, a disc car ried by said fixed support, rollers carried by 

